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The last few weeks have been no picnic as we have been forced into living rather simple lives in a staged house. Living a simple life doesn't mean living an easy life. Oftentimes we forgo the simple for the easy.

This move has bumped my goals into overdrive in the Home department of my Life: Simplified project.

Here are a few things I’m learning about simplifying during a move:

Purge as You Pack

Now that we have an offer, I have been able to relax a bit in that area of moving and begin to focus more on packing. As I pack, I am also purging. Since this time requires I touch almost every single object in my home, it allows me to really see what we have that hasn’t been of use.

Although moving is a ginormous task, it is also a wonderful way to jump start a huge purge and start fresh. I want to start life in a new home where I can breathe easier.

It’s not that we’re big hoarders, or anything. It’s just that we often don’t realize how quickly things can accumulate. A lot of times it’s accepting things from others without really thinking whether we really need them or not.

I am especially focusing on what we have in storage, since those things aren’t items we see on a daily basis.

Live With Less (at least for a while)

Packing and waiting pretty much forces us to live with less. This opens up our senses a little wider since we are limited to what we can pull out. There are less books to choose from, so reading becomes more in depth because there aren’t a million books visible to choose from waiting for me (or my children) to hurry up and finish.

Having fewer options staring us in the face helps minimize those kinds of distractions. It allows us to live more fully in many respects.

Adjust Your Expectations

Expecting everyone in my home to be comfortable with change or understand why they cannot pull out certain toys (such as Play-Doh) during a season of house showings is a bit much.

While I may have a large grasp on the situation and time frame of what’s involved in selling and buying a new home, my children do not. Waiting, for children, seems longer and harder in some respects, than for adults. And it has still been difficult on me, as an adult!

What does this have to do with simplifying? Well, it’s part of recognizing that “simplifying" is not equated with "easy”. I am learning, while also teaching my children, how to be content with less - even if it’s only temporary.

What are you learning about simplifying? Link up your post below! Next week, let's talk about simplifying our time/schedules.

Affiliate Disclosure

Christin Slade is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Christin Slade is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.